Mission Statement

Mission Statement

Open Source Reporter is a publication providing information on developments in the open source and free software fields, as well as advocacy in bringing both the free software movement and open source software variants into the mainstream of worldwide computer use.

OSR chooses to leave the technical side of programming open source software to the programmers, and recognizes that the range of abilities of mainstream computer users is vast. With this in mind, OSR strives to provide a journalistic and informational bridge between programmers who write, maintain and promote open source and free software and their users.

On a day-to-day level, OSR believes the publication’s readers can save money by using open source software if they make the right choices. Likewise, an organization choosing software for a large number of “seats” can save a lot of money. One of our primary goals, then, is to help both individuals and organizations do just that. There are also problems and pitfalls to avoid, and we will help our readers avoid them.

On theoretical and philosophical levels, OSR believes that freedom is about having choices. Choosing to use open source software written by individuals or groups — as opposed to written for profit in the binary sweatshops of national or multinational corporations — is a basic freedom for which OSR firmly stands.

The purpose of OSR includes, but is not limited to, promoting and advocating open source issues in the mainstream of worldwide computer use, as well as being an voice for open source advocates in the political realm.

There is no reason that a wide variety of open source software cannot be used in both the personal and public realms, and OSR plans to provide information to the general public that can be useful in promoting all these aforementioned goals.